12 Days of Christmas: Day 1

I’m going to start off this festive collection of feature films with an absolute christmas classic.

Due to numerous television showings in the 1980s, this film has become traditional viewing in most households during the Christmas season. Frank Capra’s, It’s A Wonderful Life will have been released 70 years ago next year, however I feel that this feature is completely timeless – every time I watch it I get that same warm, happy feeling when watching the iconic end sequence.

If, like probably most people of my generation, you haven’t had the pleasure of being able to watch this delightful film the plot follows protagonist George Bailey’s seemingly ‘ordinary’ life under the watchful eye of his guardian angel, Clarence Odbody. Bailey isn’t happy living in his “crummy” hometown and wishes to pursue his dreams of exotic travel around the world. However, through no fault of his own he is forced to give up these dreams in order to take over his father’s business.

But with a strong position in business also comes sacrifice, leaving Bailey on the brink of suicide on one particularly difficult Christmas Eve. This is where Clarence Odbody makes his first appearance, he is enlisted by God to help Bailey realise the importance of his own life, even if it wasn’t the life he exactly wanted.

Now I understand that this film might not be everybody’s cup of tea. For example, because of when this film was released it can be slow-going at times; but at 2 hours in length I didn’t think it was outrageously long. I also thought that James Stewart did a wonderful job of portraying an ordinary man with big dreams. My favourite scene is most definitely the finale within the film, when everybody in his hometown pitches in to help their friend, Mr. George Bailey.

Overall I think that the film has one of the best morals out of the festive features I’m currently reviewing; that is that life isn’t perfect, things will happen that you certainly didn’t plan for. But this doesn’t ever mean you should give up, otherwise you could end up hurting the people that love you.